Large-scale politics or empires have been found in many parts of the world from ancient times to the twentieth century. But only in what is today China has there been an ideological and institutional tradition of rule that created a rich repertoire shared by rulers for two millennia. Because that imperial tradition was largely separate from the European traditions that created modern national states, notions of governance in contemporary times do not assess very effectively the principles and practice of good governance in Chinese history. We therefore cannot determine the ways in which such traditions might matter for understanding Chinese approaches to governance today as a national state and a world power. This presentation suggests some of the issues we can better understand when we consider Chinese concepts of governance in historical as well as comparative perspectives.

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Registration is required. HK$550 per person. If you are interested in attending, please send your full name (including salutation and title), phone number, email address and affiliation to us by July 19, 2013. If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Carman Choy at 2547 8472; email: info@hiebs.hku.hk.